I suggest you call the tower (or whatever facility issued it) and ask what
that clearance meant.

"John Harper" wrote in message
news:1076387776.207455@sj-nntpcache-5...
Thanks for all the answers. This was runway 21 at SMO, heading
out over to the ocean. No DP, but standard procedure is RH
to intercept LAX315 (the coastline), then 270, vecs to VTU.

I don't THINK I misheard (although memory is a fickle thing) because
I heard him say exactly the same thing to the following departure as well.

The idea that I should climb to 6000 THEN Direct VTU would make
sense except that turning Direct would actually vector me slightly
AWAY from the terrain.

I was at 3000 which is high enough to not bump into any terrain locally
but certainly not IFR en-route clearance (the highest peak in the
ridge is about 2700 from memory).

Guess next time I'll ask.

Thanks again,

John

"John Harper" wrote in message
news:1076365605.761786@sj-nntpcache-3...
Got an odd clearance the other day, on climbout from Santa Monica
(IFR but in perfect VMC): "climb and maintain 6000 when direct
Ventura". I took this to mean that someone would later clear
me direct VTU, whereupon I would climb. However I never got
such a clearance, and later an evidently nervous controller called
me, cleared me to 6000', and asked me if I had the terrain in
sight (which I did, but it was getting close for IFR though not
worrying visually).

I wonder what this clearance really meant? Did it mean "when ABLE
direct", i.e. when I could receive the VOR (which I couldn't
initially although I was filed /G anyway)? Or did someone just
forget to give me the subsequent clearance?

John